A sample of what can be done in a weekend in San Francisco

FRIDAY APRIL 22:
12pm UNION SQUARE FLASH MOB DANCE
- Found on sf.funcheap.com. The start of the Bay Area National Dance week (lots of free classes for the next week). Groups of dancers including seniors, ballet dancers and youth groups prepared the dance and performed as soon as the song came on amongst other tunes. Then everyone who wanted to learn it took over Union Square and got taught it. The music kept coming and so anyone and everyone danced away to music by Rhianna, James Brown and more.






1pm Cycle around town, drop into TJ Maxx. Chill at home and have fish and chip dinner (It's Good Friday after all).

9pm LEFTY O' DOULS PUB
It wouldn't be our first choice, but apparently it's good for fatty grub. Music was a bit dodgey. An old dude on the piano surrounded on all sides by seated admirers, belting out tunes from a wedding. We had ONE pre-drink here.

10pm THE CLIFT HOTEL
A free gig featuring the band fun. Also found on sf.funcheap.com. We got free All Saints tops worth $60 and a $25 gift voucher. Drinks were expensive though. $8 for a bottle of Corona. No thanks. The foyer area had this huge snaptastic armchair.

11.45pm SWIG
After we'd had enough of the free band we hopped along the street to this bar. It has a fireplace that wasn't on because it was roasting already. A beer and a little boogy down the back had us bringing back the moves from earlier.

12.30am KIMO'S BAR & PENTHOUSE LOUNGE
We usually frequent Polk Street due to it's proximity to our house but this one we hadn't hit before. The blaring of live music caught our attention. Free in. A Columbian ska-type band played to a bunch of rowdy dancers bashing off eachother. I loved the music that sometimes required you to look like you were jogging, I just had to dance with my hands out for fear of getting head butted. The band were cool with mullets and dreads, and playing guitars and brass instruments.


1.45am CYCLE HOME


SATURDAY April 23:
1pm RAID FRIENDS' HOUSEMATE'S UNWANTED CLOTHES

2.15pm GOOD WILL AS IS
A hidden "gem". Lets just say that if you need clothes then there is no excuse not to have them in San Francisco. Most things are around $1-$2. Fur coats might be a bit pricey though at $4. Big large blue bins full of random clothes and blankets fill this warehouse-type space and you have to root good and root hard. You have the big urge to wash your hands upon leaving with your belt and bag in tow totting up to $1.

3pm EARTH DAY FESTIVAL AT CITY HALL
A day for hippies, and the rest of us folk who want to save the environment yada yada. It's always fun to wander around looking at stalls, get free brownies, listen to random music, look at people with signs telling us the earth is over on May 21, and act like a kid.


(Mine's the corny bit at the top saying "Love yourself").



(Freaky dancers. It looked like a cult to me with the leader being the older woman in the middle in the top photo. One had a snake on her while doing a sexy dance for crying out loud. You're 10 years late misses, Britney's already done that. But I'm sure I missed the explanation for this type of dance and what it was all about.).


(Hula hoop tastic. Always wanted to try this when I saw the show-offs in Dolores Park. It's easier than the little plasticy hoops we had as kids).


(A mandala made out of flowers and stuff).

(The bike was powering all the music and sound for this guy. He did a little rap he made up and even recorded himself and played it back using the contraption made out of wires and held together with cardboard. Nice bit of eye candy too.)

5pm HOME OUT OF THE DRIZZLE, DINNER AND PRE-DRINKS

10.30pm BOOM BOOM ROOM
Open until 2.45am and yet we all left at 2am, when every week we are appalled when kicked out at 1.45am. Typical. It is a nice venue all lit up with red lighting so I'm glad we went. It was quite date-like and the music was grand on this particular night. The second guy wasn't what we expected as he played more rock rather than the acoustic we heard on the internet before going but sure isn't there always going to be surprises?

SUNDAY APRIL 24:
11am-ish ARISE AND LAY AROUND ALL DAY
The rest of my housemates went to Easter Sunday mass. There has definitely been something in the air all week and so I needed to chill. Apparently there was a "sexy Jesus" competition or something like that on in Dolores Park.

4pm HOME MADE ROAST CHICKEN DINNER

6.30pm APPLE TART MADE BY A FELLOW IRISH FRIEND



9pm WATCH "THE FIELD" ON DVD
A film adapted from the play by John B. Keane. It was a good watch but not something I would have picked before bed. Near the end of the film I shouted out "Dumbledore" to the main actor when I had a realisation.